盧炎

LU, Yen (1930-2008) was a composer who was born in Nanjing, China and died in Taipei, Taiwan. From an early age, he was exposed to traditional Chinese instruments and Guqin music with his mother’s training. In the wake of the Chinese Civil War and the Second Sino-Japanese War, Lu moved around with his family and eventually settled in Chongqing, Sichuan, where he attended a church school and began to learn church music. Lu came to Taiwan in 1949 and entered the Department of Music at Taiwan Teachers’ College (the present-day National Taiwan Normal University). In 1963, Lu went to the United States to study music education at the State Missouri Teachers’ College in the northeast. He then went to the Mannes School of Music to study composition. In 1971, Lu obtained a diploma, and the following year, he entered the New York City University and studied composition and electronic music. In 1977, Lu studied composition at the University of Pennsylvania and obtained a master’s degree in 1979. He then returned to Taiwan and was appointed as the chair of the Department of Music at Soochow University, retaining the position until his retirement. Lu’s wide range of works contain the essence of Eastern and Western cultures. He was twice awarded the National Cultural and Arts Award, and in 2003, he was awarded the TECO Technology Foundation Award. Lu’s main compositions include Lang Tao Sha (1973), I Jiang Nan (for flute and piano duo and small orchestra) and Piano Concerto No. 2 (2006-08).